A bizarre set of Google Map images of the Gobi desert in China have sparked a flurry of conspiracy theories.

A bizarre set of Google Map images of the Gobi desert in China have sparked a flurry of conspiracy theories.

The satellite pictures appear to show a number of giant structures which some internet users believe are military practice targets.

Two different images form grid-like patterns, one of which some scaremongers claim is a replica of the Washington DC street layout.

Another image shows a spiral formation on the ground which, when zoomed in, shows planes at the centre.

One photograph, which depicts 16 perfect squares spaced out in a block, shows what appear to be burnt-out trucks, supporting the claim that the sites are targets.

More wacky theories also include the idea that they are alien markings or the remains of a lost civilisation.

The location of the strange structures has also fuelled speculation, as they were found near to the borders of Gansu province and Xinjiang in northwestern China where military, space and nuclear equipment is built.

The site is also less than 100 miles from Jiuquan, where China’s space programme and launch pads are located which has led to suggestions that the markings are a ground sight for Chinese spacecraft.

The New Scientist reported: “China's crewed Shenzhou 7 mission, launched in September 2008, released a small satellite that orbited the crew capsule a few kilometres away.

“Japanese researchers believe it was testing a quantum key distribution system between the spacecraft and satellite. Could a ground-to-space system need some kind of elaborate ground sight?”

It’s not clear from the images what the structures are made of, or even if they are simply painted onto the ground.

Google Maps also set tongues wagging last week after they released satellite images possible secret facilities in Iran.

The pictures of Arak and Natanz show changes to the facilities in the areas compared against images taken in October last year, sparking speculation by the UN that it may be used to develop nuclear weapons.

Google released the images following a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which expressed 'serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear programme'.